Monday, April 20, 2015

I have been beta testing BibleWorks 10 for the last few months. I will get around to a fuller review after the semester ends, but here is my quick take on this release.

BibleWorks 10 is an attractive update to a long-respected
program. Existing users will find a fresh but familiar interface that is now
customizable and scalable. New users will more easily be able to find their way
into the extensive capabilities of the program and hundreds of Bible texts and
versions and study aids. Everyone will appreciate the new features and
resources including notable ones like English “fuzzy” searching, a BibleViews
Picture Library, Danker’s 2009 Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the NT,
the Leiden OT Peshitta, and the New English Translation of the Septuagint
to name just a very few. New add-on modules available include Crossway’s ESV
Bible Atlas and original Hebrew and Greek language packages including the
Nestle-Aland 28th with apparatus and morphology. Able to run on both
Windows and Macs, BW 10 is a tremendous value in Bible software.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

A Quick Survey of Bible Apps for Android and iPhone

For more detailed study, check into the offerings from
Accordance,
Laridian,
Logos, or Olive Tree. If you already
have purchased desktop versions of these programs, then you have access to most
of your resources through the apps as well.
There are many freeBible apps from which to choose for both
Android and iPhone. Things to keep in mind:

Note that some of these are actual apps. Some provide access to web
versions optimized for mobile devices. If your mobile device has a web
browser, you can, of course, always go to some of the better sites' web
pages. Check out the Lumina Bible site or the Tyndale House STEP Bible online (also downloadable for Win and Mac).

Some of them work by 'streaming' Bible versions to you. That is, you
must have access to a data stream, and you won't be able to use that version
when you don't have data access. The benefit of this approach is that you
can often have access to Bible versions for which you would otherwise need
to pay. (E.g., for NRSV)

Most of them will allow you to download some Bibles to your device and
use them offline or without a data stream. Many are free. Some you will need
to purchase. Some common free and useful Bibles include:

Some apps offer a variety of related resources: dictionaries, maps,
commentaries, Bible reading plans, etc. One thing to look for are Bible
versions that are linked with Strong's. This provides the quick and free way
to get some lexical and parsing help. Note that you can find versions in
English, Hebrew, and Greek (both LXX and NT) linked to Strong's. Most of
them have search capabilities. Some have audio versions.

Some of them offer all sorts of options for highlighting, social
sharing, and note keeping, and often these can be synced with an online
version.

MySword: This is one
of the fastest loading programs, so when I'm in church and want to get
to the lesson quickly, I use this one. Lots of free modules including:
LXX and an analytical LXX, Brenton's LXX English, NET (no notes), Hebrew
Westminster, Lexham, KJV, SBL GNT.